


Don't Die On Me

by afteriwake



Series: Lingering Winter [23]
Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-16
Updated: 2012-10-16
Packaged: 2017-11-16 11:36:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/539015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Nelliel gets very sick, Grimmjow realizes things have changed between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Die On Me

**Author's Note:**

> For **thiscanbegin** , answering the prompt “Good Things Come To Those Who Wait (Bleach, Grimmjow/Nelliel ).” Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill her.

“She’s sick. I didn’t the the Arrancar could _get_ sick,” Isane said, looking at the fellow members of the Shinigami Women’s Association. “We don’t know what’s wrong.”

“Is it serious?” Yachiru asked, a frown on her face. She’d adopted a more mature attitude thanks to something she was keeping a secret, and everyone appreciated the change. She looked about nine now, which also helped matters. She still insisted on riding on Kenpachi, only this time she sat with one leg hooked over each shoulder. The spikes didn’t seem to bother her much, to everyone’s surprise. But with the rate she was growing, she wouldn’t get to be a little kid much longer, and everyone knew it.

Isane nodded. “It’s almost like pneumonia. We don’t know if it’s contagious, but so far no one else has gotten sick. We haven’t let Grimmjow see her, though, in case whatever she has can make him sick.”

“How angry is he about this?” Matusmoto asked.

“Very. But he’s also very…” Isane paused. “He sits in a chair outside of her room. Any time someone goes in, he asks how she is doing. Anytime I or Captain Unohana go in, he asks if he can see her. I don’t think he’s spent much time in his own quarters for the last few days. In all honesty, if Captain Unohana hadn’t sent him to his quarters last night I think he still would have been there this morning.”

Nanao smiled slightly, shifting so that she was more comfortale. Pregnancy was not suiting her well, and she was only four months along. Matsumoto was also pregnant, but considering this was her second child she was used to it. “If she knew about this, this would be a good sign to her to see how much he cares.”

“Oh, she knows he cares,” Matsumoto said, handing her the box of saltines. “He just hasn’t said he loves her.”

“But this shows he does, right?” Yachiru asked. Then she turned to Isane. “Don’t you have something you can put him in so he can see her? It’s not fair that he can’t.”

Isane thought for a moment and nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. You are right; it is not very fair.” She stood and bowed slightly to her friends. “I will come back and let you all know what is happening later.”

“Bye!” Yachiru said with a wave.

Isane waved back and headed out of the room. She made her way to the healing center, and after twenty minutes she sent for Grimmjow. When she was told he was outside Nelliel’s room again she smiled slightly and carried what she needed with her to see him.

“I need you to put these things on,” she said, holding up a plastic coverall, gloves and a mask. “We don’t know what is making her sick, and we don’t want you to get sick as well. But when you wear this, you can visit her.”

“Is she getting any better?” he asked, standing up and beginning to put on the suit.

“We think so, yes,” Isane said with a nod. “There seems to be less fluid in her lungs, far less than yesterday. We are thinking the medicine we gave her began to work at some point last night. We had just doubled the dosage from what we had been giving her before.” She smiled slightly. “Third seat Hanatarou remembered that she had needed double the pain medication when she lost her arm.”

“Good,” he said. He finished putting the suit on and then took the mask and put that on as well. “So…I can see her?”

“Go ahead and go in,” she said, opening the door for him.

He stepped in and went over to her bed. There was a chair nearby and he sat down. This was new to him, this worry. But he relaxed more when she stirred and opened her eyes. A smile was on her lips. “Grimmjow,” she said quietly.

“Hey,” he said.

“They told me they didn’t want you to get sick,” she said, sitting up a little.

“You should lay back down,” he said, alarmed.

“I breathe better when I sit up slightly,” she said. She scooted up about three more inches and stopped. “I’m glad you’re here. I missed you.”

“They say you’re getting better.”

“I feel better.” She reached over and put a hand on his arm. “I heard you were waiting outside for hours, every day.”

“Yeah, well, I was worried,” he said with a slight shrug before taking her hand. “This is all really weird for me.”

“I can imagine,” she said with a slight laugh. “Well, you’re here, and that’s important to me.” She yawned and blinked slightly. “I suppose I need to rest more.”

“I should go,” he said.

“Stay until I fall asleep?” she asked.

He paused, then nodded slowly. “Fine.” He played with her fingers for a moment. “Hey, Nel?” he said quietly.

“Hmm?” she said, opening her eyes again.

“Don’t die on me.”

“I’m not going to die,” she said, moving her hand from his and setting it on the side of his mask.

“Yeah, well, I don’t know what I’d do if that happened.”

“It won’t,” she said. “I promise.”

“Okay,” he said with a nod, taking her hand again. He held it for a few more minutes before leaning in. He looked around, then pulled off the mask for a moment. “Don’t know if you can hear me,” he said quietly, “but…I love you. So you better not die.”

“I heard you,” she murmured. “And once again, I won’t die.”

He kissed her temple and put the mask back on before getting up and leaving. He missed the satisfied smile on her face as she sank back into sleep, but it probably matched the one on his own face.


End file.
